I’ll start off by saying that styles vary from league to league.  Of the main European leagues, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and Premiere League, it’s pretty obvious that the styles of the clubs often reflect that of the country.  But the styles are very different.  Serie A is the dirtiest league in Europe.  You think about all the great Italians that you can, even current players, Pirlo, Materazzi, Cannavaro, etc.  These guys may not be as a dirty as some others, but they aren’t clean players by any means.

Ligue 1, of France, is a greatly competitive league, but if we were to rank teams, their best teams would be a in B+ category.  More suited for their top teams to make it to the round of 16 in the Champion’s League and not much else.  Ligue 1 is fairly close in competition, the soccer is great, and there’s a lot of great players.  It’s the one league where the majority of the national team players play outside the country.  Though there are exceptions to their great players sticking around.  They also feature a fair amount of young and talented Belgian players which is a plus.  But, for most it’s not a career league.  Continue reading →